In the present scenario, There are a number of Human Resource personnel who have no idea about criminal background checks. There might be some who would know a little or lot, But finding a person who has in-depth knowledge of the subject is like finding a needle in the haystack.
The best way to know about the criminal record is by knowing the different types of criminal records searches available, And while there are a few criminal record searches that are more informative than others, they all play an imperative role which helps in raising a comprehensive background check. So, the actual question is from where to begin? While the program package might vary by job applicant, there are some basics to know for any criminal record check.
County Criminal Record Search
Among all the sources, County criminal record search is the most used and trusted source for finding criminal records. National or statewide criminal record checks are not a full collection of all criminal records that could survive nor can they assure that you have found what exactly you’re looking for. However, a county search goes straight to the starting place of the criminal record.
Before a county criminal records search has even started the Social Security number trace (often referred to as an “Address History Search”) will help in determining:
- If there are supplementary alias names linked with the applicant.
- Addresses and therefore, counties, where the person has resided.
According to the information, the background screener will run a county criminal records search, Which will find out records in any of the recognized counties of residence. Verifying with the name, Date of birth and Social Security number, the background screener is able to verify whether or not a criminal record is actually of the candidate or not. Once you will be clear with this, you can simply come to the crux that the county search is the most consistent for finding criminal records.
Other sources:
Leaving this, there are many other means for discovering criminal records, mainly if it’s believed the candidate has evidence elsewhere. For instance, there’s the federal criminal court record search. The records present in a federal court include tax evasion, embezzlement, bank robbery, kidnapping, mail fraud and other federal statute violations. If the candidate has a criminal record based on above-mentioned crimes that include any of these, there would not be a record of it in a state or county database. It would be present in other searches.
There is also national criminal record check which is used to check out details about the criminal. The national database consists of records from a diversity of sources from all over the United States, including but not limited to County Court Houses, State Departments of Incarcerations, State Record Repositories, Probation Departments, Townships and Sex Offender Registries.
After this, you might be thinking, “Great! My search is done; just order those for all job candidates.” Not so fast. Yes, this national database might comprise some of the criminal records you’re looking for, but you should not put all of your background checks on just one site which is offered to you. Because this source is not all-embracing, don’t rely only on this database when conducting a criminal record search, but rather use it as a corresponding source.
Another utilized search is the statewide criminal record search. This search draws attention to a particular state’s database, which you would order depending on where the job candidate has resided. However, not all 50 states in the U.S. allow admission to their criminal record directories. In addition, even the states that do make it accessible might not have the most modernized information on record. Much like the national criminal records database, the statewide criminal databases should be used as an accompaniment to a county criminal record search.